Tag: environment

It is anticipated that 2012 could be the year of the tick. Recent news reveals that the ticks are coming… and this year they will be more prominent than ever in Scotland. This is not good news for walkers because of the potential risk of contracting Lyme's Disease, but there are many precautions that can be taken to avoid a bad dose of this flu-like illness. What are ticks? Ticks are tiny bugs that thrive in bracken. This bracken has spread alarmingly after a dry winter and an EU ban on the herbicide Asulam. Ramblers are particularly prone to tick bites, which are the main cause of Lyme disease, and can prove fatal if left untreated. What can you do to help yourself? Get yourself a tick remover to remove the nasty little biters. Make sure you check yourself over at the end of the day to check that a tick, or ticks!! have not attached themselves to you for a feed. The best way to avoid ticks is to wear long-sleeved shirts and trousers, but sadly our canine friends can’t follow the same guidelines. This is what you are trying to avoid.... With the much anticipated milder weather on the way, it pays to take a little time to check your arms and legs after any outings into the countryside (walking, biking, canoeing, etc), and if your dog seems in any discomfort then check its coat for any small lumps and bumps. Although they love bracken, home for ticks is often long grass, which most dogs enjoy charging through as well so a tick remover should be on every dog lover’s list of must-have items. Advice about dealing with ticks on the Scottish Mountaineering website How to identify Lyme's disease Remember, if the ticks don't get you, the fearsome

It is anticipated that 2012 could be the year of the tick. Recent news reveals that the ticks are coming… and this year they will be more prominent than ever in Scotland. This is not good news for walkers because of the potential risk of contracting Lyme’s Disease, but there are many precautions that can

The next time you're huffing and puffing up a steep mountain track, take a moment to consider why we even have mountains to explore. Nothing lasts in nature. Given time, lots and lots of time, towering mountain ranges wear down, expansive continents erode and vast oceans dry up and fade into obscurity. Take the Caledonian Mountains, for example. It is difficult for our minds to grasp the concepts of geological time. While we are well-used to economists throwing around figures of billions of euro and trillions of dollars, it is nonetheless very difficult for us to imagine a timespan of hundreds of millions of years. The Caledonian Mountains started forming some 438 million years ago. They got pushed up slowly as one of the results of ancient continents colliding with each other. Enormous forces were unleashed during the collision as the former continents rammed into each other. During a head-on crash of two cars the bonnets crumple and are thrust up into folds. Something similar happens during the head-on collisions of continents only it happens in extreme slow motion; so slowly, in fact, that the momentum of the gently moving continents carries the process on over millions of years. During the ancient continental collision, existing rocks crumpled and folded and the mountain chain emerged. In our part of the world the Caledonian mountain range stretched from Ireland to Scotland, formed the spine of Norway and continued into parts of Sweden and Greenland. The name ' Caledonian' is derived from the study of the ancient mountain range in Scotland; when the Romans invaded Britain they used the placename Caledonia for the territory we now call Scotland. The Caledonian mountains are long-gone as a continuous mountain range. Much of the range has eroded and has been recycled. However, isolated bits of the

The next time you’re huffing and puffing up a steep mountain track, take a moment to consider why we even have mountains to explore. Nothing lasts in nature. Given time, lots and lots of time, towering mountain ranges wear down, expansive continents erode and vast oceans dry up and fade into obscurity. Take the Caledonian

At any time of year Scotland is a brilliant place to watch wildlife, but now that Autumn is well and truly upon us and with winter approaching, here are a just a few things you should be looking out for in particular. Red Deer - Early summer is the best time to watch hinds and calves, as within the herd they are highly sociable. Red deer are more active during the morning and evening but can be seen more often during the long daylight hours of summer. The best time to see stags is during the autumn rut and they are more active in cold weather and rain, wallowing in mud, roaring and fighting other stags. Red deer are still found by the thousands in upland forests and moorlands throughout Scotland. Red Squirrel - Resident throughout the year, red squirrels are active by day. They look their best in winter, with their thicker coats and characteristic ear tufts. The thicker coat on the back can be tinged with a green or grey colour. In winter the tail is also much thicker and serves as an umbrella when out feeding and a warm sleeping bolster when sleeping. When it is cold, squirrels spend short periods of the day, between periods of foraging, warming up in one of the dreys (or nests) they have built in their territory. During the spring and summer the coat can moult to an orange/red with a blond tail. Snow bunting - Snow buntings are large buntings, with striking `snowy' plumages. Males in summer have all white heads and underparts contrasting with a black mantle and wing tips. Females are a more mottled above. In autumn and winter birds develop a sandy/buff wash to their plumage and males have more mottled upperparts. Globally they breed around the

At any time of year Scotland is a brilliant place to watch wildlife, but now that Autumn is well and truly upon us and with winter approaching, here are a just a few things you should be looking out for in particular. Red Deer – Early summer is the best time to watch hinds and

Speaking to a mate recently, he mentioned a book he was reading that sounded really interesting. If you're a seasoned hill walker/ munro-bagger or perhaps someone just looking for a big challenge then this book might provide the inspiration you need. 'Ribbon of Wildness– Discovering the Watershed of Scotland' provides a mix of narrative which will appeal to all sorts from the armchair reader to the outdoor enthusiast, the social or environmental historian to the avid mountaineer, and others. It tells us about the geographic Watershed of Scotland (the imaginary line that splits Scotland in two and where water either runs to the east or the west) for the first time, and then describes how it forms the absolute central place in our country. It provides evidence to support the idea of continuous wildness, and explores how we have interacted with this hostile habitat over a long period of time. The meaning of hill names is explored, literary references picked up along the way, the weather is a recurrent theme (unsurprisingly given it's Scotland we're talking about), and all of the designated areas identified; all supporting the notion of wildness and the importance of biodiversity. I reckon this will be a great read and I'm off to buy a copy asap. If you've read it or are interested in reading it, why not let us know what you think too? I'm already trying to think up how I can wrangle 2 months away from work and the family to attempt the journey!!

Speaking to a mate recently, he mentioned a book he was reading that sounded really interesting. If you’re a seasoned hill walker/ munro-bagger or perhaps someone just looking for a big challenge then this book might provide the inspiration you need. ‘Ribbon of Wildness– Discovering the Watershed of Scotland’ provides a mix of narrative which

We've just tested out some new kit on a 3-day descent of the River Spey by canoe, and thought you might like to hear about it. Our instructor, Adrian, was more than happy to test this kit out with a group of 9 we guided down the River Spey 2 weeks ago. For the first time we packed in a Tepee (tent) and a solid fuel-burning Frontier Stove. Not exactly what you might consider packing on a lightweight expedition, but with the flexibility provided by our amply-sized Canadian canoes, we put them in with our usual gear to see what the group thought if them. Firstly, the tepee was a huge success in providing a central point for the group congregating for meals and chatting. Had it been raining (which it didn't) or had there been midges (which there weren't), then it would also have provided refuge from them. The tipee was large enough to seat everyone for meals and the odd alcoholic drink in the evening, encouraging all to delay their bedtimes that bit longer. It wasn't difficult to put up and although much bulkier than a 2-3 man tent, this wasn't an issue at all, fitting snuggly into the canoe. On a cold night, what could be better than sleeping in the tepee next to the stove!! The Frontier Stove was also a revelation for us. This amazing bit of kit, packs down into a rather handily sized pack., weighing not an awful lot. Having removed it from its bag, it takes no time at all to slot the various pieces together, into what then becomes more recognisable as a stove. The great benefit of this stove however, is the fact that it has a collapsable chimney that allows you to remove the smoke from your tepee -

We’ve just tested out some new kit on a 3-day descent of the River Spey by canoe, and thought you might like to hear about it. Our instructor, Adrian, was more than happy to test this kit out with a group of 9 we guided down the River Spey 2 weeks ago. For the first

Currently, Leave No Trace is releasing a series of Public Service Announcements (PSAs) by the 2009 Academy Award winning filmmaker, Michael Ramsay. The one-minute PSAs are fun, clever and inspiring, targeted towards all outdoor enthusiasts who enjoy and appreciate our wild and natural places. This is the last of the 3 videos we’ll be posting here over the next couple of weeks. We like it!

Currently, Leave No Trace is releasing a series of Public Service Announcements (PSAs) by the 2009 Academy Award winning filmmaker, Michael Ramsay. The one-minute PSAs are fun, clever and inspiring, targeted towards all outdoor enthusiasts who enjoy and appreciate our wild and natural places. This is the last of the 3 videos we’ll be posting

Currently, Leave No Trace is releasing a series of Public Service Announcements (PSAs) by the 2009 Academy Award winning filmmaker, Michael Ramsay. The one-minute PSAs are fun, clever and inspiring, targeted towards all outdoor enthusiasts who enjoy and appreciate our wild and natural places. This is the second of 3 videos we'll be posting here over the next couple of weeks. We like it!

Currently, Leave No Trace is releasing a series of Public Service Announcements (PSAs) by the 2009 Academy Award winning filmmaker, Michael Ramsay. The one-minute PSAs are fun, clever and inspiring, targeted towards all outdoor enthusiasts who enjoy and appreciate our wild and natural places. This is the second of 3 videos we’ll be posting here

If you're a paddler (canoe, kayak or otherwise), you should be aware of the Paddlers' Access Code, which outlines some common sense principles that you should bear in mind when sharing the waterways with other people. Its core principles are: caring for the environment; taking responsibility for your actions; and respecting the interests of other people. It's worth a read if you're not familiar with it and are planning to head out paddling soon.

If you’re a paddler (canoe, kayak or otherwise), you should be aware of the Paddlers’ Access Code, which outlines some common sense principles that you should bear in mind when sharing the waterways with other people. Its core principles are: caring for the environment; taking responsibility for your actions; and respecting the interests of other

Everyone can enjoy the great outdoors in Scotland, in part due to our liberal laws brought about by the Land Reform Act in 2003. Despite the fact that people own the land, we are free to take part in responsible outdoor activities, almost without exception. Norman MacCaig, the famous Scottish poet, raised the question of land ownership in a ‘Man in Assynt’: Who possesses this landscape? The man who bought it or I who am possessed by it? False questions, for this landscape is masterless and intractable In any terms that are human. I think this describes beautifully, the feeling that you get from being in the Scottish mountains. You certainly don’t need to own it to enjoy it! The main parts of the Land Reform Act 2003 are: - Everyone has the statutory right of access; - Access rights apply to all land and inland waters, unless excluded (as below); - Access rights are for outdoor recreation, for crossing land and water, and for some educational and commercial purposes; and - Exercising access rights, and managing access land, must be done responsibly. Where access rights do not apply - Houses and gardens, and non-residential buildings and associated land; - Land in which crops have been sown or are growing (although please note that the headrigs, endrigs and other margins of fields where crops are growing are not defined as crops, whether sown or unsown, and are therefore within access rights); - Land next to a school and used by the school; - Sports or playing fields when these are in use and where the exercise of access rights would interfere with such use; - Land developed and in use for recreation and where the exercise of access rights would interfere with such

Everyone can enjoy the great outdoors in Scotland, in part due to our liberal laws brought about by the Land Reform Act in 2003. Despite the fact that people own the land, we are free to take part in responsible outdoor activities, almost without exception. Norman MacCaig, the famous Scottish poet, raised the question of

Regardless of your favourite outdoor activity, Leave No Trace skills are important to learn. Leave No Trace is a national and international program designed to assist outdoor enthusiasts with their decisions about how to reduce their impact when they hike, camp, picnic, snowshoe, run, bike, hunt, paddle, ride horses, fish, ski or climb. The program strives to educate all those who enjoy the outdoors about the nature of their recreational impact, as well as techniques to prevent and minimize such impacts. Leave No Trace is best understood as an educational and ethical program, not as a set of rules and regulations. Leave No Trace information is rooted in scientific studies and common sense. The information is framed under the Seven Leave No Trace Principles. Plan Ahead and Prepare Know the regulations and special concerns for the area you'll visit; Prepare for extreme weather, hazards, and emergencies; Schedule your trip to avoid times of high use; - Visit in small groups when possible. Consider splitting larger groups into smaller groups; - Repackage food to minimize waste; and - Use a map and compass to eliminate the use of marking paint, rock cairns or flagging. Dispose of Waste Properly - Pack it in, pack it out. Inspect your campsite and rest areas for trash or spilled foods. Pack out all trash, leftover food, and litter; - Deposit solid human waste in cat-holes dug 6 to 8 inches deep at least 200 feet from water, camp, and trails. Cover and disguise the cat-hole when finished; - Pack out toilet paper and hygiene products; and - To wash yourself or your dishes, carry water 200 feet away from streams or lakes and use small amounts of biodegradable soap. Scatter strained dishwater. Leave What You Find - Preserve the past: examine, but do not touch,

Regardless of your favourite outdoor activity, Leave No Trace skills are important to learn. Leave No Trace is a national and international program designed to assist outdoor enthusiasts with their decisions about how to reduce their impact when they hike, camp, picnic, snowshoe, run, bike, hunt, paddle, ride horses, fish, ski or climb. The program